It's like the Jungle Cruise ride, but without the boat

Ha! Take that, internet!

Like so many others I plunked away at the ATT and Apple sites in an effort to pre-order the new iPhone 4. And, like so many others I got nowhere. Meanwhile I was reading reports of horror stories of people discovering the system screwed up and billed them for three phones, changed their data plan, signed them up for a 2 year plan but with no phone, and expecting a confirmation email but getting one saying the order was canceled.

It almost became a reflex to refresh the screen, retype my account info, get kicked out and start over when suddenly I find myself looking at this.

It takes me a second to realize something’s different. Then it comes to me. I’m in! I’m expecting to see the screen suddenly change saying the session is canceled like a bomb waiting to be triggered. Keeping myself from rushing through or not clicking on something that’ll take me out of the page I read enough and select the phone I want.

Now, I’m still not out of the woods yet because I don’t know if I qualify for the discounted cost. My eyes are reading through looking for the price until there it is. Yes, I do qualify. A bright green button asks me if I want to confirm my order. I realize the system could crash at any instant and I’m hoping I make it through the process before it does. I’m in the home stretch. One more click will see me either done or screwed.

Success! Was it worth it? Is the phone all that special? Half the enjoyment of anything is the journey. While this is the story of doing nothing more than ordering a phone, for me it wasn’t about that. It was about the experience. Still sound foolish? How many of us take the time to live in the moment? That’s what I’m talking about.

Living in any moment makes it an event in your life. That’s what this was and that’s why it was worth writing about. I’m glad I could share it with you.